The End Where I Begin
by EmeraldTulip
Summary: She's seven when her father dies and her life begins.


**Title:** _The End Where I Begin_

 **Rating:** T

 **Genre:** Family/Drama

 **Summary:** She's seven when her father dies and her life begins.

 **Warnings:** Mentions of death, one instance of minor language

 **Notes:** This was supposed to be for my six word story collection, but the prompt ran away from me a bit. I'm not going to even talk anymore. Read right ahead.

* * *

She's seven when her father dies.

One day he's right next to her, perfectly alright, and the next he just… isn't.

"We'll be okay," her brother promises her that night as they're all alone on their island, everyone else still away. He hugs her tight (though, there's really no way he couldn't be crushing her, as cramped as the two of them are sitting cross-legged in his capsule).

"I don't believe you," she tells him, and it breaks her heart to say the words. "Leo, I don't believe you."

"I know," Leo replies, his voice breaking. "But you have to pretend."

She shakes her head. "Why?"

She can hear the suppressed tears in his voice. "You have to be strong for Mom, okay? We all have to. For Big D—Dad."

She nods as she curls into his chest, his left arm coming up around her head. To protect her. "Okay," she whispers.

She falls asleep that night to her brother's quiet sobs, but for once he doesn't make her leave.

* * *

She's still seven when her mother has her worst breakdown yet.

Leo, his facade of calm firmly in place, tells Adam to take her outside. Without hesitation, her oldest brother scoops her up and whisks her out, and she screams for Bree to help her, Chase to help her. Because Leo won't let her stay, and what did he say? Be strong for Mom. She can do it, but how is she supposed to show Mom that if they aren't in the same room?

"Hey, hey," Adam tries to hush her. "Hey. It'll be fine."

"Don't lie," she says weakly, still recovering from her yelling. "Please."

"I'm not," he promises. "I wouldn't lie to my baby sister like that, would I?" He does his best attempt at a goofy grin, and she giggles even though she doesn't really feel like it. He carries her through the entry room, setting her down in a seat in the cafeteria.

"Brownies?" she asks, giving him her best doe eyes.

He laughs, already going into the back room. "What kind of brother would I be if I said no?" A second, a very generously filled plate of brownies lands in her hands. "Je m'appelle, mademoiselle."

She takes a bite. "If you're telling me to eat, that's not right."

Adam frowns. "No? Are you sure?"

She grins. "Yes. It's 'bon appetit'. Je m'appelle is 'my name is'."

"Well, how'd you know that?" Adam challenges, voice still having a playful lilt.

She shrugs. "Parker told me."

He nods sagely. "Ah, of course. This Parker is the one from France, no? Well, then, bon appetit." He tries to put a little French accent into his words, but fails miserably.

Nevertheless, he's more or less correct, so she nods before attacking the rest of her brownie.

Something crashes behind her, suddenly, and she starts to turn in her chair before Adam grabs her shoulder and stops her. "I'll see what that was," he tells her, and even though she wants to argue she can her the dangerous edge that creeps into his tone.

She watches her brother stand and walk back out to the main room, and even though she doesn't like being bad, she stops chewing and listens as hard as she can.

 _"…_ _gone,"_ Leo sighs, and she can almost envision the slump in his shoulders. _"Through the hydroloop. She's not coming back."_

 _"_ _What?"_ Adam asks, horror creeping into his voice. _"Where's she going?"_

 _"_ _Said she's staying with a friend in San Francisco,"_ Bree replies, the same defeat in her tone as Leo's.

 _"_ _Well, what are we going to do?"_ Adam sounds _scared_.

 _"_ _We'll figure it out,"_ Chase promises.

* * *

She's a week away from turning eight when her brother calls an "adult family meeting".

She's not allowed in, but that doesn't mean she doesn't press her ear against the door and listen. (She's always been glad they're not soundproof.)

 _"_ _Why didn't we know about this sooner?"_ Bree's voice is nearly shrill with panic.

 _"_ _I was just notified today,"_ Leo replies helplessly. _"Apparently she told them to hold off telling us until the last possible moment."_

 _"_ _She can't do that!"_ Adam splutters.

 _"_ _She can, actually,"_ Chase says dully. _"She's the one with her name on the deed. So there we have it."_

 _"_ _But our lab!"_ Adam shouts. _"Our childhood!"_ She hears him take a few deep breaths. When he speaks he's calmer, but that dangerous edge is back. _"She took our_ home _. How could she do this to us?"_

She runs.

* * *

She's just turned eight when her brother tells her that they're moving.

"Leo, _please_ ," she says for the millionth time. "Don't make me go!"

"We have to, Dee," he says, and she flinches from the name. When Leo Davenport breaks out the nickname with his little sister, there's not much she can do.

Because it's not like she doesn't love him, and she doesn't hate the nickname. She just hates when they're used against her.

"But _why_?" she asks, also for the millionth time.

He sighs, letting his suitcase lid fall closed, stabilizing it from falling off the couch. "Because we can't stay here. Dad is gone, we have so much stuff with the government we have to straighten out…" he trails off.

"And Mom," she supplies. "We can't stay here because of Mom. Because she never wants to come back here."

At least he doesn't deny it.

"I don't want to go," she says stubbornly. "What about Parker? I have friends here. I don't want to leave."

"I know, Dee," he says. "I know. But it'll be okay. We'll be in DC, Bree will be just a couple minutes away in New York with Uncle Douglas and Cousin Daniel. Chase is going to be up in Centium, helping run Davenport Industries, and Adam will hold down the fort here."

"Why can't I stay with Adam?" she protests.

"You have to go to school," he reasons. "We can't do that here with only Adam as the adult, because he can't drop everything here to take you into town. Besides," he adds, picking her up. "Adam, Bree, Chase, and I… we've been waiting for an opening. If I'm being honest, we need to get out of here. We're getting older, Dee. We need to get our _lives_ back. We can't do this here."

"Too many old ghosts," she recognizes. Seeing Leo's look of surprise, she offers a simple response. "Chase."

"You're getting to be a very smart girl, Dee," he smiles gently.

"I know," she replies. "I also know about the house."

The smile drops from his face. "How do you know about that?"

"I heard your adult family meeting," she admits. "Mom sold the house, didn't she?"

Leo hesitates, and she can see he wants to lie. But he doesn't. "Yeah. She did."

"Why?"

He sits down on the couch, setting her down on top of his suitcase. "I don't really know, Dee," he admits. He looks her in the eye. "I think there were too many old ghosts."

* * *

She's fourteen when she and Leo get home from her school and get the shock of their lives.

Leo reaches for the door to their apartment, both of them frowning when they see that it's already unlocked.

"Wait here," he says quietly, and she nods, paralyzed.

Nothing like this has happened (in front of her, at least) since they left the island. It's been six years.

Leo pushes the door open before letting out a shout. She jumps, but recognizes the tone. It's not a bad yell, it's a good-surprised one. He walks inside and she follows.

Inside their apartment are four people—she recognizes two of them. "Uncle Douglas! Cousin Daniel!" She pushes past her brother to leap into Daniel's arms. He catches her, laughing.

"You've gotten so much taller!" he exclaims, eyes twinkling. He pulls her into a hug. "I've missed you. You too, Leo," he smiles warmly over her shoulder to her brother, who pulls out of a hug with one of the people she doesn't recognize.

As he hugs the other person, she turns to Uncle Douglas. He smiles at her, extending his arms out. She immediately takes initiative and hugs him, tight.

Even if her dad is dead, her uncle is a good second.

"Daniel's right," Uncle Douglas laughs. "You've gotten taller." Letting her go, he turns to Leo. "Are you not going to introduce her?"

"Oh!" Leo says. "I'd forgotten you haven't met. Logan, Taylor, this is my sister. Dee, these are my old teammates."

The boy extends a fist. "I'm Logan. I've heard a lot about you."

She taps her knuckles against his. "Can't say the same, but it's nice anyway."

"Leo!" Logan gasps mockingly, putting a hand to his heart. "Have you not told your darling sister about your bestest friends ever?"

"Cut him some slack, Logan," the girl—Taylor—chuckles. "He's too good for us, obviously. He's been meeting with the _President_."

"Funny, Taylor," he says, rolling his eyes.

"He rolled his eyes, right?" Taylor asks Logan, and she suddenly registers the odd contraption across Taylor's face, across her eyes.

Logan replies with a simple "yup".

"Haven't changed a bit, Dooley," she teases.

"Davenport, actually," he corrects a little sheepishly. "Got adopted about seven years ago, just after you left. Changed my name."

"You too?" Daniel grins. "That's awesome, dude. Now we can say we're related and have proof for the jerks who make comments."

"As much as I'd love to further this discussion," Uncle Douglas chips in, "We did have some more pressing matters to discuss."

"Right, of course," Leo says, business face falling into place. "Dee, go do your homework. We'll all go out to dinner tonight."

She nods and heads to her room. She can recognize when she isn't needed.

* * *

She's fourteen when she's sent to live with Bree in New York.

"This is serious, Dee, and I'm sorry," Leo tells her somberly after their big group dinner. "I can't just abandon them. They need my help."

"Why can't they get Chase?" And yes, she's aware she sounds like a whiny teenager, but she doesn't care.

"He's doing something else right now," Leo explains gently. He's always been calm, at least with her.

"With Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar?" She has to ask. She really likes them.

He hesitates. "That's classified." But then he nods, confirming her suspicions.

"So go," she says firmly. "You have to do it."

His face lights up. He hadn't expected her to say that, and in the moment it's all worth it for her brother's smile. "Really?"

"The world always needs the Davenports," she says, "and you're one of them."

"Okay," Leo nods, smile intact. "Okay, so I'm doing this? I'm going out into the field again?"

"Yeah," she smiles. "Yeah, you are."

* * *

She's fourteen years old when Bree lets her set up her own room, just how she likes it.

Bree and her friend Tommy watch in amusement as she runs around the room, pointing at different pieces of furniture and directing Bree where to put it.

"You just might have a future in interior design, my friend," Tommy tells her as Bree finally slows to a stop, and she puffs up with pride.

"You're such a dad, Tommy," Bree laughs. "You're going to be a good parent someday."

"Yeah?" he rolls his eyes playfully. "Tell that to Avery." He holds up his hand, the ring very obvious. "Three years of marriage, and yet…"

"Hey, at least you're married," Bree retorts. "I'm almost thirty-four, and I still can't get a date to stick around for maybe two weeks."

"You should get out more, Bree," she comments idly from her bed, where she's been arranging pillows. Feeling the attention of both adults on her now, she shifts uncomfortably. "No offense, of course! It's just… you know, you want a stable relationship. It's New York, go out and mingle!"

Bree and Tommy glance at each other. "Well," Bree starts.

"It's not a bad idea."

"I can finally get a date, and you can bring Avery."

"And she does have a point…"

"Alright," they conclude at the same time.

She stares at them in confusion. "What?"

"We'll do it," Bree says like it's obvious whatever they agreed to in their mind-meld.

"Okay," she says, very confused. "Cool."

"We'll do it in three weeks," Tommy says. "You'll have time to make friends at school by then. You can invite them over if you want while we're gone."

Bree lightly smacks his shoulder. "Hey, it ain't your house anymore, you can't just tell my kid sister she can bring in people." Bree winks at her. "That's totally okay, though."

"Wait, I've lost house rights?" Tommy looks horrified. "That's it, I'm going back to Avery's and breaking up the marriage."

"No, my space now," Bree teases. "Your place is Avery's _and_ yours. Shoo, shoo."

With a mock affronted gasp, Tommy sweeps from the room. "This isn't the last you've seen of me, Davenports!" he calls from the front door.

"I'd hope not, we have plans in three weeks, don't we!"

Bree turns her attention back to her. "Alright, first day of school tomorrow, so bedtime."

"I'm fourteen."

"And I'm thirty-three and understand the necessity of sleep." Bree stops, wrinkling her nose. "Is this what being Chase is like?"

They both laugh for two straight minutes.

Everything is funnier at eleven thirty in the middle of the city that never sleeps.

* * *

She's sixteen when she finds an old friend.

"Class," Ms. Greene says. No one's listening—this is history class, and Greene makes it so dull. "We have a new student today, all the way from California."

This catches her attention—then again, California is a large state. She's not going to know the person.

"Parker Harris," Ms. Greene says, and she sucks in a breath. Her best friend Henry, sitting next to her, gives her a puzzled look.

"Hi, everyone," Parker says. She can't get over how much Parker's changed.

"You can sit next to Miss Davenport," Ms. Greene says, and she wishes she could geoleap.

Parker's eyes meet hers.

"Hey," Parker says quietly, sliding into the seat next to her. "It's been a while, Davenport."

"That it has been, Parker," she replies, lips quirking up slightly.

* * *

She's seventeen years old when she's invited to her first party.

She almost declined, but Henry convinced her.

"This is a mistake," she tells him the second she opens the door to find him on the threshold.

"You're being paranoid," he insists. "Come on. Your sister says it's fine, and you even asked your brother when he visited last month! If that's not being thorough, I don't know what is!"

"Fine," she huffs before raising her voice. "Bree! I'm heading out with Henry!"

Her sister is standing in front of her in a flash, insisting to check her outfit before letting her leave. After a full two minutes, Bree delivers her conclusion. "It's all good. You'll be a hit."

She rolls her eyes. "Lovely. That's exactly _not_ what I was going for."

Bree sighs. "Look, just try to have fun tonight, okay?" She turns to Henry. "Stick together, alright? I want her home by eleven."

"With all due respect, Miss D, you're making it sound like it's a date," Henry laughs. "But okay. I'll remember to do that."

"Thanks, Hen," Bree thoroughly ruffles his hair before practically pushing them outside.

—

"Aw, man, your sister totally ruined my hair," Henry laments as they walk. "What's she so excited for, anyway?"

She shrugs. "It's fine. And I don't know. Normally I'd say she was rushing for a date with Cassian, but he's down in Argentina for the week so that's off the table." She pauses. "Maybe she's just excited to see me grow up."

"Well, that's sweet and all, but don't get sappy on me, Davenport," Henry warns, but there's a warmth in his eyes.

"Sure thing, Schott," she agrees, grinning.

He offers her his arm and she links them together at the elbow. She knows that to any onlooker it would look like they were probably together, and even if that wasn't the case she honestly didn't care. Henry was a part of her life now, and it didn't matter what strangers presumed when looking at them.

"You're thinking all sappy," Henry remarks teasingly as they enter the subway. "I thought I told you not to."

She nudges him in retaliation. She'll tell him her worries about her brother later, but right now they're just going to have some fun.

"So, who's hosting this whole thing again?" she asks as they hop on the E.

"Jeez, Davenport, you're the smart one," he laughs. "The host is Piper. Bolton. Senior."

"One, how on earth were we invited, second, what does she look like so I can avoid her?"

"My cousin is Piper's best friend," Henry reminds her, "and she's the stereotypical white girl. Paler than milk, dyed blonde hair, the works."

"You've just described half the people at the party," she deadpans.

"No, trust me, Piper is very recognizable," Henry remarks. "You'll know. And this is our stop."

"Why did I let you drag me into this?" she mutters as they exit the platform.

Henry hears and grins at her. "I don't know. I was just wondering the same thing. I mean, come on, Davenport, you're smarter than this."

"Damn right I am, Schott," she shoots right back.

They walk a few blocks in silence, and she notices it's already getting dark. It's only six, but Henry made her promise to stay at least three hours.

She's going to regret this, honestly…

Henry tugs on her arm—they've apparently arrived. It's still relatively quiet out on the street, though now that she's listening she can feel a slight beat in the concrete under her feet.

"Now or never," he whispers.

"Now," she says before she can regret it, opening the door.

It's loud inside, and for once, she's very glad she isn't bionic. Chase must have never been able to go to parties, if he was ever invited.

"Hey!" someone calls, and she and Henry turn around. _Oh, this is probably Piper._ "Glad you could make it!" Piper says, smiling.

She's so _fake_. Everything about her oozes synthetic enthusiasm.

"Hey, Piper," Henry greets. "What's going on where?"

"Nothing right now," Piper laughs, a little too hard than that question warranted, "but maybe later."

Henry thanks her and they move away. "Probably a little bit of underage drinking going on here," he mutters. "Just steer clear and we should be fine."

Not long after, she realizes that Henry's no longer next to her—in fact, she can't see him at all.

"Davenport."

She turns around, face-to-face with Parker. "Hey."

"You look nice. Haven't seen you much."

She nods slightly. "Thanks. And sorry. I've been busy." She knows how bad that excuse is—after all, they've been going to school together for a year now, and they were friends in childhood.

Expectedly, Parker doesn't buy it. "We both know that's not true, but okay."

They stand in silence for a minute before she shifts uncomfortably. "Parker, not that it's not great to see you, but… why are you here?"

"Piper invited me."

"No, I know, I mean… here. In New York," she elaborates.

Parker arches an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I was living with my brother, who got called away for world-saving bionic stuff. So now I'm living here with my sister," she says easily. "Your turn."

Parker has the audacity to look surprised, but answers anyway. "Dad split. Mom got a job opportunity out here and took it."

She laughs bitterly. "Looks like neither of us got very lucky in the parent department." Neither of them speaks for a moment.

"I'm sorry about your dad," Parker says suddenly. "I know… I know it was ten years ago. But… I heard about your mom, how she left your island and stuff. So I just wanted to say… well, it sucks, and I'm sorry you had to go through that."

She shrugs. "Not your fault."

"I missed you, though," Parker says.

Suddenly it's hard to breathe with the crushing weight of truth on her chest. "I missed you, too."

"Hey, Davenport!"

"Sorry," she says to Parker, truly apologetic. "That's Henry. I have to go."

"Okay," Parker replies. "Go."

She can't pretend that the quick dismissal doesn't hurt a little.

* * *

She's seventeen when she cuts her hair.

She doesn't really have an explanation for it, but Bree doesn't question it. Calling up Cassian, Bree assured her that yes, he has an idea of what he's doing.

"Besides, his dad was a hair stylist," she wheedles.

"That's true," Cassian says from the front door. Bree's up in seconds and starts pulling them both to the bathroom.

"Jeez, Bree, you're more pepped about this than I am," she laughs.

"Well, this a rather big change for my baby sister," Bree points out.

She shrugs. "It's just hair, Bree." Pretending not to notice the look Bree and Cassian exchange, she picks up the scissors and hands them to Cassian. "Do your worst, Hart."

* * *

She's eighteen when Parker kisses her.

They're at another party, but this one's quieter. Jessica West has invited all the 'non-clique-y people", so there aren't so many guests. Henry went into kitchen a few minutes ago to get some soda, but she wouldn't be surprised if Jaime finally cornered him after at least a month of trying to ask him out.

Parker says hi to her once Henry leaves, and they talk for a little while about old things—bionic things, Davenport things, and then settling on normal things.

Then it's over in an instant, and for a second she thinks she imagined the whole thing.

Then Parker kisses her again, and she knows she isn't dreaming.

"I really missed you," she says quietly.

Seeing Parker's smile in the relative darkness of Jess's house makes her feel like she could be really happy one day.

* * *

She's eighteen when she decides to stick around the city for a little longer.

She presents her older sister with the acceptance letter with the Columbia emblem on it, nervous smile on her face. (Honestly, it doesn't hurt that both Henry and Parker have told her they've gotten in.)

"Really?" Bree asks. "What about Princeton?"

"I like it here," she tells her. "I really want to stay." She quickly adds on, "if you think it's alright!"

Bree sighs. "Kiddo, if you think I'll make you go somewhere else because Columbia's not good enough, you're crazier than Uncle Douglas."

She smiles brighter than she ever has before.

* * *

She's nineteen when Bree gets married.

Bree considers herself lucky, she says—she'd found the right one without too much trouble. After five years, she knows she can finally settle down. Cassian is a great guy, and according to both of them, the most important thing is that they're best friends.

Bree asks her to be the maid of honor, and she says yes before the question is even finished.

"You can invite two people, too," Bree laughs, a sparkle in her eye—whether from happiness or from planning a cunning scheme, she can't tell.

"It's going to be Henry and Parker," she sighs, "and you know that."

"Indeed I do, little sis," Bree chuckles and ruffles her hair.

—

She laughs as Henry and Parker twirl her around the room during the after-party, catching sight of her older sister every once in a while.

Bree looks radiant, and even though she does look nice in a more superficial way, her favorite thing is her sister's sunshine smile. As Cassian beams at her, swaying in time to the music, she swears she's never seen her sister look so happy.

"Having fun?" Henry laughs at her as she almost stumbles over her own feet (she's very similar to her brother in that regard).

"You know it," she replies, grinning.

Henry passes her off to Parker, who very dramatically dips her. "You look happy, Davenport."

"Good observation, Harris," she replies cheekily. "It's not every day your only sister gets married."

"True enough," Parker grins, urging her into a twirl as she ends up back in Henry's arms.

"Hey," someone says, "sorry to break up this surprisingly well-configured dance, but I was wondering if I could have a dance of my own with my sister."

She turns. "Leo!" Practically leaping into his arms (she's not so small anymore), she hugs him so tight she can hear the breath leave his lungs.

"Hey, Dee," he says once she loosens her grip. "I was going to go to Bree first, apologize for missing the ceremony, but she's having too much fun."

"And I wasn't?" she protests playfully. Turning to Henry and Parker, she says, "I'll find you guys later. Go ahead and have fun."

Parker immediately extends a hand to Henry, and Henry raises an eyebrow. "What?" Parker says, nonplussed. "We're friends."

Henry shrugs. "Fair enough." They disappear into the crowd.

"Really, Dee?" Leo teases her as they begin to dance. " _Two_ dates?"

"Funny," she replies sarcastically. "You know full-well that Henry's my friend."

"And Parker?" he points out. "Wasn't… did you guys used to be friends? In Mission Creek?"

"Well, yeah," she shrugs. "Same person. And we're dating, but it's very relaxed. Nothing to be concerned about."

"I'm your brother," he points out. "I'm supposed to worry."

"It's fine," she insists. "Bree's a responsible guardian."

He laughs. "You're the only person who would say that."

She grins back at him. "Oh, I know. So," she says, skillfully diverting the topic away from her love-life. "So, how's your new team doing?"

"It's going _great_ , actually," Leo says. "You've probably seen some stuff on the news. But," he lowers his voice, "there's something classified I want to tell you about. So, you know that old villain we fought, the one on the space station…"

—

She ends up sitting next to Chase as she takes a break from dancing.

"Hi," he says simply.

"Hi, Chase," she replies cautiously. She hasn't seen him since the last Davenport family meeting in DC about a year ago. He looks downtrodden, which isn't something expected for a wedding (unless you're in love with one of the newlyweds, of course). "What's up?"

"Nothing," he says firmly, eyes tracking their sister as she and Cassian make their way around the room. "Hey, you know most people here, right?"

She nods, looking cautiously at her brother. "I'd hope so, considering I helped plan it."

"Alright, tell me who's who," he says. "Who are those two?"

He's pointing, predictably, at the loudest people in the room. "My friends," she replies. "Henry's the blond one, and Parker's the one in the blue."

"Parker… the one from Mission Creek, right?" he asks.

"How does everyone remember that far back?" she complains to no one. "I barely remembered!"

"How about him?" Chase points in another direction, and she follows his finger.

"Oh, that's Bree's old roommate Tommy. Avery is the brunet next to him."

"Who's that?"

She doesn't recognize the person. "I'm not sure. I think that might be Cassian's cousin."

"Hope he doesn't turn out to be a villain and ruin Bree's night," Chase mumbles.

"Is that why you're so gloomy?" she asks. "You're afraid of some villainous spy being here and ruining this for Bree?"

"No," Chase says, and his sincerity is clear. "No, that's not why I'm sad."

She's never known her brother to admit when he feels bad. Something must be really wrong.

But as she opens her mouth to ask, Chase shoots her a warning glance, and she gets the message. _No questions_.

—

"I'm so happy for you, sis," she overhears Leo telling Bree as she approaches them after the cleanup. "I'm so happy you're happy."

"Thanks, Leo," the new bride beams. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"Almost couldn't," he replies, "but anything for my sister."

Bree glances over his shoulder and sees her. "Speaking of sisters…"

He turns. "Hey, other sis! Guess who's your roomie for the next few weeks?"

She doesn't reply, just turns to Bree.

Bree grins. "Yeah, since Cassian and I'll be off on our honeymoon, Leo will stay with you in the apartment. I think Adam's going to crash there this week, too, since there's nothing urgent on the island."

She frowns. "What about Chase?"

Bree and Leo exchange glances, and she can't quite comprehend their meaning. "He's going back to Centium with Oliver, he said," Leo explains. "Skylar wants to stick around—apparently a friend of hers is undercover here—and Kaz has a cousin he wants to visit. So they'll be here. But Chase… Chase already left."

"Oh," she says. "He didn't say goodbye. Even Oliver said goodbye." She realizes how small her voice is, and she tries to strengthen up again. She's nineteen, for heaven's sake.

Bree and Leo exchange another glance. "He's going through a lot," Bree says gently. "He doesn't mean any harm."

She shrugs.

"Alright, Dee, how about we head home?" Leo suggests. "I saw your friends raiding the kitchen a few minutes ago, how about you go collect them?"

"Okay, I'll meet you outside in ten," she says before taking off.

"Good luck, Leo," she hears Bree tell their brother. "Call Tasha for me, alright?"

* * *

She's twenty when she puts the pieces together.

When Bree and Cassian had been out of the house on their honeymoon, Leo had made a point of inviting Chase over for a family/team dinner. After all, Kaz and Skylar were there, Skylar could super speed and pick him up.

He declined.

"He always declines," she muses as she knocks over Parker's rook. "Check."

"Maybe he's busy," Parker suggests, moving a pawn in the way.

"She's been living here since she was fourteen, that's six years," Henry replies from the bay window, where he's hanging upside reading a book. "There's no way he's been busy for six straight years."

"He visited once," she corrects, studying the board. "When I first moved in. But that's it."

"What made him stop visiting?" Parker asks. "Make a move already, I have to leave in twenty minutes."

"I don't know," she says, moving a bishop. "Check. After Tommy moved out and Cassian moved in, I guess."

"And it's not like you don't see him, he visits the city plenty. He just never comes into the house," Henry points out.

"Damn, you're good," Parker huffs, castling. "Maybe he just wanted to give your sister and Cassian some space. Or _you_ some space."

"Maybe," she says absently, knocking over his king. "Checkmate."

Parker jokingly complains and Henry laughs, and then she figures it out.

* * *

She's twenty-one when she works up the nerve.

It's two difficult phone calls in one day, but she can do it.

She dials the first number, having memorized it long ago. It rings three times, and then a voice picks up.

 _"_ _Hello?"_

"Hey, Chase," she says, knowing he knows who it is. He has caller ID, of course. "I, uh… Hi. It's your sister. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

 _"_ _For what?"_ he asks, and he sounds genuinely confused.

"For the wedding last year," she replies. "For not understanding. I get it now."

He's silent for a moment. Then—

 _"_ _Do you?"_

He sounds like he doesn't think she does.

"Yes," she says firmly. "I do."

—

The second call is even harder, somehow.

She thought she knew the number, but a few minutes of searching has shown that it's been changed since fourteen years ago.

But even if she's not nearly as good a hacker as her brother, she has adequate skills.

Dialing the number, she holds the phone up to her ear.

It rings once, twice, three times. A fourth time. A fifth time.

It goes to voicemail, and hearing the voice… she can't work up the courage to do it. She hangs up.

* * *

She's twenty-two when her uncle is in an accident.

Bree wakes her up at two in the morning, and she automatically knows something is wrong. Bree's face wouldn't be so worried, so tired, if everything is okay.

"Wha' happened?" she slurs out, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Bree bites her lip. "Douglas is in the hospital. Come one, we have to go."

—

Bree speeds her, then Cassian, to DC.

"Why are we here?" she asks as soon as they're at a full stop in the entrance of the hospital. "I thought they were at a mission site in Utah."

"That was just a cover," Leo says, walking out to meet them. He's still wearing his mission suit and he looks dead on his feet, so she holds back the urge to hug him. He looks like he'd crumble. "We were meeting with the president. Someone jumped us, we think aiming for her, and Douglas ran into the way."

"Is everyone okay?" Cassian asks.

Leo nods tiredly. "Daniel managed to tackle the assailant before any more damage was done. Taylor sprained a wrist, and Logan had a bit of a panic, but Mrs. President should be fine. Douglas, on the other hand… well, we don't know yet." He ushers them inside. "We don't know how long we'll have to wait. Chase and Adam said they'd be here soon." He glances at Bree. "I called _her_ , but… no answer, as always."

They sit in the chairs in the hall, and she pulls out her phone to text Parker and Henry.

 _Uncle's in the hospital,_ she types. _I'm in DC. I'll be back soon._

Despite it being so early, they respond within minutes, Parker with a _keep me updated!_ and Henry with a string of concerned looking emojis. The messages cheer her up slightly, but she can't bring herself to smile just yet.

There's a sudden _whoosh_ of super speed, and Skylar and Chase skid to a stop. "Sorry, we were on a mission," her brother pants. Turning to Skylar, he says, "call me if anything else goes wrong. I'll tell you when I need a lift back." She nods and vanishes, and he turns to Leo. "What happened?"

—

At about six-thirty, someone opens the door to the room Douglas was put into and quietly gestures for three people. "He's awake."

"You go," she says. Adam's not here yet, so it's just three people if Bree, Chase, and Leo go. "It's okay."

Bree and Chase rush inside, and Leo ruffles her hair. "Thanks, Dee."

She just smiles tiredly back.

She wonders what a truly normal life is like.

* * *

She's twenty-three when she graduates.

As she does the cheesy cap-toss, she can't help but grin across the room, over to Parker and then Henry, before turning and finding her family's faces in the crowd.

If she'd stayed on the island, this never would have happened. She might not have understood as a seven-year-old, but she sees it now.

California isn't her home. DC was only ever a temporary living space. New York isn't quite right, either.

She knows why—because wherever her family is, she goes. That's how it should be.

* * *

She's twenty-five years old when she gets someone back.

She stares at that phone number she saved four years ago. She's checked since then, it hasn't changed. This is definitely the right number.

Before she can chicken out, she presses the button.

It rings once, twice, three times. A fourth time.

She's about to hang up, give up, when there's a click.

 _"_ _Hello?"_

"Hi, Mom," she says quietly. "It's your daughter."

* * *

 **I know a lot of it is vague. That's on purpose. Make of it what you will. I will tell you, though, that the perspective is that of Baby Davenport. There's a lot of confusion about her name, and even though I think it ended up actually being Naomi, I had gotten really used to Kira and I'd seen a ton of speculation about it. So you can call her whatever name you'd like.**

 **This is kind of my foray into more realistic writing, so I'd love some feedback about this. I'd also be totally willing to talk about this more at length.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it.**

(For reference; the ages as I saw them:

End of Lab Rats

Dee: 0

Leo: 17

Adam: 20

Bree: 19

Chase: 18

End of _The End Where I Begin_

Dee: 25

Leo: 42

Adam: 45

Bree: 44

Chase: 43)


End file.
